Reading Once Upon a Quinceañera was both very fun and also very frustrating.
This book was very nostalgic for me. I'd say it does a nice job of exploriReading Once Upon a Quinceañera was both very fun and also very frustrating.
This book was very nostalgic for me. I'd say it does a nice job of exploring one kind of quinceañera planning-adventure that happens when families go down this road. (I should note that having a quince party that's big and lavish is a privilege many girls do not get to experience, see classism) Although my quince was very different from the one in this book, I definitely felt drawn in by some connections! Especially when it came to practicing dancing! I also liked that this book added the extra special touch of Disney into the party!
It should be said off the bat that this book has a very large cast of mainly unlikable characters. Considering how much of a character-oriented person I am, I'm surprised to say that I didn't mind it *too* much. Carmen, the star of this show is very messy character. She is prickly, petty and knows how to hold a grudge. I liked the angle this story took on Carmen's constant fight against being labelled the "cautionary tale" for girls because of her past mistakes and her present struggles. She is not always a wonderful person per se, but I enjoyed spending my time with her in this book. As for the rest of the characters...I didn't think much of any of them. Ariana was quite annoying and I'm not sure if I saw much growth in her. Mauro...I didn't like him much at all by the end of the book, I don't hate any of these characters, but I felt like they were very one-sided.
I live for family drama in books and this one really brought it out, Right from the start I was intrigued by the messiness and their feuds.. To say this family has its fair share of scandals is a slight understatement but that's what made it exciting to read! To confront the drama there is the overall theme of family forgiveness and hmm I think this family needed a lot more than what the book gave us to be on the path to forgiveness. When dealing with conflicts of classism and narcissism, there needs to be a lot of digging to get down to the nitty gritty of things. I felt like this book was a tad too surface level in its resolution, I wanted to dive in way more and bring about those conversations between Carmen and her family. I also didn't like that the male family members took such a backseat in this story and that the drama focused more between the women, as if the men weren't part of the problem (which they very much were!).
On that note, I wasn't really into the romance. I didn't hate it, but again there was a very surface level resolution to some very big issues between these relationships. There is so much to unpack and I feel like we didn't get much of a chance to dig in, it felt too easy their reunion. I didn't dislike them, I just think that they need a lot more work. Like a lot more work.
Overall, I liked reading this despite its many drawbacks. I think it could have benefited from a stronger characterization and a deeper dive into some of its themes. It's entertaining and I found that my own inner-pettiness connected to Carmen's, but I also think the book could have better challenged those feelings. ...more
Do you guys know how hard it to find Salvadorian characters in YA books? It’s hard! But I’ve beenBlog Review:
Do you guys know how hard it to find Salvadorian characters in YA books? It’s hard! But I’ve been given a gift with this book, and I’m so glad to say that it was quite a success for me!
At the centre and forefront of this novel is the incredible and very authentic voice. I can already see the complaints of people calling the writing juvenile and hard to understand because of the slang and can I just tell these people to shove off already? This story is being told by a 15 year old-girl, do you think that she always thinks in full sentences and with the vocabulary of a university professor!? No. I personally loved the writing style and voice! It really gave off the vibes of being in this teenager’s mind. The reader is put into her head so wonderfully, an effect that I think is best achieved when the vernacular of the text caters to the voice of the character. I mean did I understand every term used? No, but that’s what Urban Dictionary is for.
Liliana was a phenomenal character and I resonated a lot with her. She starts off this story your average teen living the high school life in Boston. She’s kind of moody, having to deal with her little brothers and her dad’s sudden disappearance, it doesn’t help that her mom isn’t letting up any details. Then things change, big time. She is accepted into the METCO program at a predominately white school in wealthy neighbourhood. She’s apprehensive about the move, but does it to make her parents happy. Then things get more intense as she discovers her father has actually been deported and that her mother is also an undocumented immigrant. These are not the most welcome experiences for her and she reacts in a very understandable way. She was angry and scared and most of all confused. Is she flawed? Oh yeah. And yet I loved her desire to learn more. To find the answers for her questions and find the voice to fight for herself.
As she learns to navigate the halls of her new school she finds herself changing and is unsure how to feel about it. She begins to feel like she is losing herself as she is confronted with two very different worlds, neither of which seem to claim her entirely. The trials of friendship both of maintaining connections you already have and creating new ones is a bug hurdle for her. There were so many different factors she had to balance at once. I was only ever the new-kid once, but this book does a great job of showing how difficult it is to navigate new waters especially in a school where there is so much division!
Reading about Liliana’s eventual awakening to the reality of her family’s story was so relatable for me. In my Latinx experience, it is very common that family stories and family secrets stay sealed among the adults. It’s when you reach a certain age, like Liliana’s 15 years, when you finally start to be trusted with the secrets. And sometimes these revelations weigh you down. I can only imagine the kind of hurt and confusion that Liliana felt about her parents and the idea that her dad might never come back to their family. Reading about how she dealt with this weight was poignant and really eye-opening.
Identity and knowing who you are is probably the biggest theme in this book. As someone who is both half-Salvadorian and half-Guatemalan, Liliana finds herself knowing very little about the countries from whence her parents hail. (And again so relatable) I loved that she took it upon herself to google, read books and ask questions to know more! Questions she asks her older family members that aren’t always answered in a direct manner (like is this my life?? I’ve done these very same things SO many times). She embarks on her own research about Guatemala and the hardships of immigration which was really admirable!
I don’t know much about the American school system, but reading this book was again very insightful. The complexities of the METCO program and navigating a school where you are constantly othered is scary. The amount of microaggressions and blatant racism that Liliana and the other POC characters face in the book is not shocking but pretty despicable. This book made a powerful statement on what it means to be open to diversity, navigating white fragility and the dangers of relying on BIPOC to “teach� people how to not be racist. It made me honestly reflect about my own experience in school. To be fair, my high school was not predominately white, but I still faced some of these very things from my own classmates. Some of these microaggressions I’ve done myself. I used to say–and sometimes still say–that I am “Spanish� when I am most certainly not. I was just so wowed by the truth after truth that this book spit out.
At heart this is a story about family. It was gut-wrenching at times because there is just so much heartbreak. This is not really a story about migration, although the dangers of crossing the US-Mexican border is a prominent worry for Liliana and her family. (Not mention the president that wants to build a wall.) And I really liked how the author approached it. I feel like this book is for first-generation kids. The children of immigrants that are both of the nation they were born in be it American or Canadian (in my case) and that nations from which their parents come from. It’s about embracing that your identity is not limited to one single place, one single way of seeing the world. I might have cried just a little bit because this story resonated so much with me. In no ways is my life identical to Liliana’s, but just some of the things she thinks about and questions she asks reflect my experience too.
Nonetheless, this book leaves us all on a note of hope. It calls for holding yourself and your friends accountable. It calls for us to never judge on first appearance and be open to everyone’s intersectionality. It calls for asking questions and being open to learning about the struggles everyone faces. It’s about facing that fear even in the face of rejection and embracing that each and every one of us is a complex human being worthy of going for gold to reach our dreams.
Overall, this book was a really amazing read. It grabbed me every time I opened the page and let me tell you that second half had me clutched by the collar, I couldn’t put it down! Centered around themes of identity, social justice and family, this book is sure to draw you in with its unique character voice and drama. It’s a compelling read and very relevant!
What can I say that hasn't already been said? This book is incredible, probably my favourite Acevedo book! I loved the exploration of grief and familyWhat can I say that hasn't already been said? This book is incredible, probably my favourite Acevedo book! I loved the exploration of grief and family complexities. I loved the nuances around sisterhood and parenthood. It is a beautiful story with every passing word. I highly recommend the audiobook!...more
*Thanks Tor Teen for sending me an ARC* Well this was an adventure to say the least. 1. I love the narrative style. Xochtil is basically telling her st*Thanks Tor Teen for sending me an ARC* Well this was an adventure to say the least. 1. I love the narrative style. Xochtil is basically telling her story to Solis so this is one long prayer and I loved it!!! It made each sentence feel like poetry! I just found that so interesting! 2. Xochitl was a star. Her voice so powerful, emotional and compelling! 3. There was a huge supporting cast and I feel like I didn't always remember who everyone was. But let's be honest Emilia was the only one that mattered in the end XD The romantic tension between the two was magnetic! 4. This is a slow burn so prepared to be stalled and take very long walks. I liked the fact that the chapters were short so you kind of feel like you're making progress. 5. This world building was top notch! I could feel the desert heart, I felt thirsty more than once while reading! Emotion was tapped into every grain of sand in this book. I felt that pull and push of loneliness, despair, hope, fear and love! Absolutely brilliant! 6. The ending! I was just...it took me a second to fully get it and once I did was like WOW. OKAY. Mark Oshiro played me and played me well. 7. READ THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS! Especially if you are left with a question about the end! Read the acknowledgements!!! ...more
NOT ME SITTING HERE TEARING UP AT THE MAGNIFICENCE THAT IS THIS NOVEL. oh wait. IT IS ME. I need to just take some time to collect all my thoughts. PheNOT ME SITTING HERE TEARING UP AT THE MAGNIFICENCE THAT IS THIS NOVEL. oh wait. IT IS ME. I need to just take some time to collect all my thoughts. Phew. Oh wow. People. I. Love. This. Book. RTC!!!...more
4.5 This was lovely!!! I loved the characters and the DRAMA! I mean this is some tricky waters we're swimming in but I loved that she didn't gloss over4.5 This was lovely!!! I loved the characters and the DRAMA! I mean this is some tricky waters we're swimming in but I loved that she didn't gloss over the uncomfortable bits. This was also freaking hilarious. I laughed soooo many times. Especially that poem he made up, omg I died. The family dynamic was also amazing. This Brazilian family was close-knit and full of personality! I related hard to the child of an immigrant pressures that Lina was struggling with herself. The narrators were alright. I mean I liked their voices but sometimes they gave different accents to the same people so I was confusion. Regardless, this was super fun!...more
I found this book to be very enjoyable and a promising start to a new series following the different love stories of different siblings. I thought theI found this book to be very enjoyable and a promising start to a new series following the different love stories of different siblings. I thought the characters were well-crafted and worked great together and as individuals. Luis had a next-level white-knight complex and while it could get over-bearing at times it was also very sweet. I related a lot to Sarah and her struggles as the youngest sibling chasing the high expectations her older siblings set up and wanting to make her family proud. This book deals with so much, from eating disorders to mental issues and family feuds. I thought that they were all well researched, but I would have liked to linger a bit more on the resolutions between family members. It was all quick and easy towards the end which is my biggest issue with the novel. Oliveras set up some great moments for drama and action to really hit the readers in the feels but the every moment of resolution was far too abrupt and easy. That's not to say that every problem needed to take three chapters to get fixed, but again I would have liked to linger in the deep end a bit more before catching a life preserver. Another minor issue I had was the integration of Spanish in the text. I am all for integrating different languages into text, but it needs to feel natural. All I really got from this book was the *heavily* repeated use of familia, coño, and the nanny's old saying. Not to mention the Spanish was italicized so it stuck out even more making the blend of the languages more choppy than fluid.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the reading experience. The characters were fun and the setting was fabulous! I wish I could get out to a little beach town like Key West! I'm looking forward to reading whatever sibling we get next especially since the minor teasers in this book looked really promising!...more
SMG has a way of just totally sucking you into a book. I’ve never set foot in 194.25 Full review: ___ The Likes:
SMG has a way of just totally sucking you into a book. I’ve never set foot in 1970s Baja California and yet I felt like I was intimately involved with the town of Desengaño. The words wrap around you until you feel like you’re standing on the beach and looking at the display of shark corpses. You feel it, you smell it, you can hear every sound. And, yeah, you’ve never even been in a setting like that before, but the writing makes it a whole experience for you anyways.
The writing is gorgeous and stellar, but I’ll be honest, what got me reeled in were the characters!
Viridiana, my girl. She was un-apologetically herself all the time. (Although she has her moments of self-doubt, but don’t we all) She was walking paradox. Practical, straightforward and yet dreamy. She fully understood her confinement in her small town, and the limits placed on her because of her gender, religion and economic status, but that didn’t stop her from dreaming. From imagining herself as a movie star, albeit a hopelessly romantic one. She had a love for languages which hello, hi, same. I really enjoyed reading about her journey and the shit she put herself through and had to get out of. I loved that she was not perfectly capable and when she messes up she has to get her hands dirty to fix it up. And let me tell you she messes up. A lot. But she wants what we all want, a life worth having lived. Where she can reach for the stars like anyone else. And she lies, cheats and maybe does more to get that.
The Americans�.HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. The mother fucking Americans. (I am talking specifically about the book’s Americans, not you my dear American readers). Viridiana gets caught up in their web and it takes a lot of work to get out of it. If I’m being honest Gregory was a little beeyatch and Daisy was The Bitch of the Group, so I really hated them, but was also fascinated by them. Viridiana and I were both really in the same boat here, except I was better at calling their bullshit.
The twistiness!!!! You know at one point I thought I had it in the bag. Like I knew exactly what was gonna happen and then I got slapped and realized I needed to humble myself. Suffice to say, the twists were really good. There was a lot of suspense to be had and the book keeps you on the edge of your seat constantly. It’s that kind of tense reading where you’re yelling at the characters to do one thing and they do the opposite which only makes you more stressed but also more intrigued! There were a lot less sharks than I initially anticipated (but they are mentioned a lot), but the Americans and ~others~ do have a certain vicious sharkness to them. I’ll be honest though the beginning sets up a lot of groundwork so it takes a bit to get to that first moment of shit-hitting-the-fan. But it sure does and my girl gets her hands dirty!!
Now, it turns out that I am willing to go way farther than Viridiana is to get out of a mess and she goes pretty far. I had to take a minute to question my moral values and reflect on my blood thirst. Viridiana had the decency to feel some remorse where as I was like yasssssssss I like this blood we are spilling and lies we are telling. So yeah. ...more
*Thank you to the publisher and Hear Our Voices Book Tours for proRead my Blog Tour post! (Bonus: Fan art!!):
*Thank you to the publisher and Hear Our Voices Book Tours for providing me an ARC*
Pack your bags, friends. We are headed across the pond! Forced out of her Miami home, we travel with Lila all the way to a grey and chilly summer in England. This proud Cuban-American girl experiences a bit of a culture shock in the midst of all these Brits, but I loved the adventure that we embarked on! (Also, this book was a practice in my British accent!! XD) Hunger. You will feel it constantly while reading this very food-orientated book. Lila is an excellent baker and chef who knows how to make a kitchen her palace! I loved that Lila learned to remix her favourite dishes and combine British goodies with Cuban flavours. The different foods and sweets that she baked all sounded delicious and made me very very very hungry. I'm not exaggerating when I say my stomach grumbled every single time I opened this book. Lila is such a great character! She's a runner and more often than not the reader chases after her! Complex and savvy are two words that really capture her! She knows she's the best, and I kind of love that she embraces it. However, she is not perfect and reading about her perseverance is very emotional! She has to take some "hard to swallow" pills which is not easy for anyone, but for Lila it is a huge moment of growth! Slow burn romance! Like tea that you steep, you have to wait for it to get just the right flavour before you consume it! I loved the relationship between Orion and Lila. I loved that it bloomed from a hesitant friendship into something closer! I loved that they were realistic about their goals and aspirations before they decided on what their future as a couple would look like. Not to mention their relationship buds from tea tasting...I may not love the drink, but if a cute British boy was flirting with me via tea-tasting...I would swoon. It was a love story and a story of loss! A story about embarking on new adventures and letting go. It's always hard to let go of the things you love most, especially when they leave you so unexpectedly, but it is necessary for growth and change. Namey did an incredible job of showing this bittersweet aspect of life and how it is never easy, but sometimes essential to move on. Overall, it was a lovely story! Lila's journey to self-discovery and forgiveness is a heartfelt and tender tale of love, loss and new beginnings!...more
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